


Lightning Bugs

by SpeckleYurkei



Series: Speckle Yurkei's Fic February 2021 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: A bit of tony bashing but not much tbh, Gen, I'm using they pronouns for Mantis here because of projection, Most other characters here are mentioned, She/They Mantis, Thor Angst (Marvel), Thor and Mantis think about Infinity War and Endgame, Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor being Introspective, no beta we die like loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29322729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeckleYurkei/pseuds/SpeckleYurkei
Summary: For the past five years Thor had sat on his ass. Now he makes coffee in the dark of the night on a spaceship while thinking about everything Asgard had been and wasn't.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Mantis & Thor (Marvel), Odin & Thor (Marvel), Thor & Guardians Of The Galaxy Team, Thor (Marvel) & Everyone
Series: Speckle Yurkei's Fic February 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139048
Kudos: 6





	Lightning Bugs

Space was always quieter than Thor expected it to be. When Asgard still glowed the Bifrost had let out an ever-present hum. Thor wouldn’t describe it as _noise_ exactly but it was something. A clattering against your bones that clawed its way into your skin and heart to remind you that you could die. 

There had once been a ritual where new warriors stood on the Bifrost alongside the soldiers. It served to remind them that these are the people they would fight and hopefully die with. That these are the faces they would look at in their final moments. Now Thor thought it also served to remind them that in a land of Gods there was only one king. 

Thor had been elated when it was his turn to stand but that time was over. He had been...younger then. Asgard was still heaven and Midgard was still Hell. He had believed in everything it stood for to notice the rotting foundation. Thor privately knew he hadn’t wanted to. 

Thor had distracted himself with war, finding ways to _prove_ that he was worthy of his title as a god rather than just believing it. It had been easy. Something always needed his attention. Somebody needed slaying, a war needed to be fought, heroes helped, planets saved, parties partied, beer drunk and food feasted.

It was easier to see Asgard in short bursts than to watch the king use the sword of Damocles upon them all. 

He didn’t allow himself to be anything other than Thor, son of Odin. He was the example for Asgard as its prince and future king. When his mother died Thor couldn’t show tears until the very end, when he cried all night in his chambers and made sure to have a dry face the next day. 

While his brother ran amok in the universe without a care in the world, Thor had to be the elder brother. His brother’s keeper until Thanos had squeezed the life out of him with Thor helpless to do anything other than watch. He grew accustomed to the feeling. 

When Hela came back he had to be his sister’s destruction. When Odin died he had to be king. 

Every reminder of what he lost weighed on him as he stared at the endless vortex of the now-full coffee pot. It smelled bitter in the darkened kitchen of the spaceship he had ended up in. 

It would always remind him of his father. Odin had been a spider, a crafty king who was one of the few things holding Asgard together. When he died Heimdall held the reins but with both of them gone Thor had been left, like the rest of Odin’s leftovers, purposeless. 

He didn’t realize what he had been raised for until it was gone and Thor had let it decay in his hands. 

The coffee came out in a steady stream as he poured it into his favorite mug. He considered cream and sugar but he knew that he didn’t deserve it. He had spent the last five years sitting on his ass and this was his umpteenth chance to do better. 

He had done that for his people by promoting Valkyrie. 

Now it was time to do so for himself. 

Thor took a slow sip of his coffee in the kitchen, reveling in the private time he now had. 

“Are you going to share that?” A voice called behind him. Thor spat it out, mid-sip as he whipped around. The coffee burned his lips as he stared at the pale figure of Mantis in the kitchen. 

Mantis gestured towards the coffee pot. “If you need more that’s fine but I want some.” 

Thor coughed out. “Sure, go ahead.” 

Their antenna lit up in a happy blue as they walked towards the cabinet. Thor took an involuntary step back and they paused. 

Thor couldn’t meet their eyes. “Sorry.” Old habits die hard and he couldn’t help but to keep his guard up around the empath. Mantis was kind but it was still a jarring change from the empaths he had met in the past. 

Half of the time they were attacking him and the other half they had no qualms about trying to break his defenses to get a read on him. 

Luckily his mother had taught him and Loki how to set up strong mental defenses when they were children. 

“It’s for when you need it.,” She had whispered with a wink. Back then her magic was a fun game, now it was another reminder of the ways he had failed. When they met again he wanted to ask her if she knew. That...Thanos would happen and she wouldn’t be around to see it. 

Mantis frowned, their antenna reaching in his direction. “Do you want my help?” 

“With what?” 

She gestured at him. “This. Staying out of my reach doesn’t stop me from feeling what emotions are already there.” 

Thor laughed. “And what _emotions_ would those be. I am Thor, son of Odin and-” 

“Sadness.,” Mantis retorted as they poured. “Anger. Guilt and a lot of it.” 

Thor coughed in lieu of a response. Mantis stayed quiet as they poured milk and sugar into their cup. 

“I’m good at that.,” They continued, stirring. “Helping with emotions. I could make you sleep better at least.” 

Thor frowned. 

“Not that way.” 

Thor coughed again. “Listen. That is a fine offer but one of the reasons that I’m on this ship is to deal with my ‘emotions’ on my own. The last five years have been...a bit of a blur for me, but I want to do whatever I can to help.” 

Mantis nodded, sipping deeply of their own mug. “What were they like?” 

Thor drank his coffee as he collected his thoughts. He’d been handed a list of supers who’d been Snapped. It was three pages long and when he finished reading it he took a long, slow drink of ale and focused on never coming back up. 

“I was only there for the beginning, mind you, but it was...chaos.” 

Loki would have loved it. 

Earth was a mess as every nation went virtually apocalyptic. Half of the universe was gone and no one was prepared. The remaining heroes were stretched thin dealing with Earth and Thor didn’t even want to _think_ about Captain Marvel’s workload. 

The Asgardians had needed him more than ever and once more he had let them down. Their guardian and king had been too busy steadily drinking himself to death in a hut than his own duties.

“No one had been prepared. We tried to do what we could but five years isn’t enough. It’s never going to be enough.” 

“You’re angry.” 

Thor laughed. “I don’t think I had a right to be but I am! When my friends- The Avengers- first banded together, we had made vows to be there anytime we were needed. I heard that they’d gone to war over it! But when the time came...we crumbled.” 

Once the words were out Thor couldn’t stop them. “Natasha and Steve were perfect. Even in the end they were the heroes they were expected to be. The raccoon stepped up, which is more than what I can say. Uhm… Valkyrie, she helped as well but I don’t know how much else.” 

“You know.,” Thor continued. “I expected _Tony_ to help at the very least. I mean ‘super genius playboy billionaire’ and all that. But from what I heard he vanished.” Thor mimed waving his fingers. “Poof!” Can’t say I don’t miss him though.” 

“You do.,” Mantis chimed in. “You miss all of your friends. I just…” they tilted their head, antenna stretching towards them. “Can’t tell more than that.” 

“It was complicated.” 

“ _I’ll_ say.” 

“How about you?,” Thor offered. “You must be feeling something about...everything right?” 

Mantis collected their thoughts. “I wish I had been there.” They set their cup down. 

“I know it’s terrible but I want to help. I’m _trying_ to help. I may not be able to do much but it would be something. Five years passed in the blink of my eyes. If I had been there.,” Mantis shrugged, their voice thick. “At least I could have felt it happen.” 

Neither one had a response and they drank deeply at the same time. The silence was companionable as they lost themselves in their emotions. 

Thor wanted to go back to do so much more with the chance he had been given. Mantis wanted that chance at all. 

“I wish I had done more as well.” 

“Shit!,” Thor cursed, spitting out his coffee a second time. Mantis’s antenna jerked up around their face as Drax made himself known behind them. 

“How long have you been there?,” Thor made a point of staring around the kitchen in case anyone else decided to wake up. 

“The entire time.” Draxx crushed a bag in his hands and threw it into the trash. He looked at the now empty coffee pot forlornly. “I wanted some as well.” 

“I can make more.” 

“No need.,” Draxx held up a hand. “I can make more myself.” He stared into the middle distance. 

Thor and Mantis stared at him. 

“That means get out of the kitchen.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting Marvel fanwork so bear with me here people. I have a lot of Thoughts in general about the Guardians of the Galaxy and the MCU in general but this is just me trying to convey a relationship headcanon I have of Mantis and Thor. Endgame was a mess lmfao but there were some gems in there. The Guardians are my favorite MCU group and I think Thor will fit in well with them.


End file.
